Wrought Iron Conservation

In recent times, Wrought iron has emerged as material that is available for restoration work, primarily through the recycling of old material. Wrought iron may be repeatedly recycled and benefits from reworking. Scrap could be bundled, heated until it glowed white hot, and forged again by hammering into a solid mass to produce an iron of a higher quality.

Over the years technological developments have made the manufacture and working of ironwork much easier. However, for the conservation and replication of old ironwork only those techniques, which can produce an accurate imitation, should be practiced. The conservation of skills is conceivably just as important as the conservation of the artifacts.

The usage of modern mild steel in the conservation of wrought iron work will also be a propensity to compromise on technique as mild steel does not, lend itself so readily to welding in the fire and furthermore, there is a tendency to use modern, mass-produced sections, which are unlikely to match the imperial dimensions used in the past.

Before the 19th century, sections of wrought iron were forged to shape, which gave them a varied form and surface texture. Restorations in mild steel will appear relatively lifeless and the result will be inconsistent with the texture of the original.